4 ms·

Don't forget that you are quoting the "What doesn't work" section. That being said, it can still work for some people. Regarding the madman hack: It is definit

Don't forget that you are quoting the "What doesn't work" section. That being said, it can still work for some people. Regarding the madman hack: It is definitely not something that most students do. How did you come to that conclusion? I have never personally met anyone who does it (beside myself), and I know a bunch of students. However, I've heard about some successful people that use it.

Jach 15y ago
Yes, my phrasing is kind of weird, it is definitely a "doesn't work" thing. And as the study shows, it might work when the task isn't identity-related, but considering it's an actively harmful strategy (rather than just "not working") I wouldn't even recommend it in passing. Perhaps not many students act like Klingons but the crucial part of this post seems to be about making a credible commitment, with this as the example: "I will work on my Android app at least 2 hours every single day for 6 months, or until the app is released. Every day, I will send you an email report of what I’ve learned or accomplished that day, and how many hours I’ve roughly worked. If I skip a day, it’s OK, but if I ever skip two days in a row, I will give you $2000, and do your laundry and clean your windows every week for the next 12 months. You are to hold me accountable, and demand that I hold my end of the deal. If I ever forget to send you an email, you are to call me and ask me about my progress." While I suppose a lot of students aren't planning on day-to-day schedules for their work (though some certainly do), there is nevertheless a cost that can easily exceed $2k for failing in college.
aidenn0 15y ago
I have met someone who did this (my grandfather). Any time he had a difficult goal, he would do this. He also had a partner that was clearly adversarial. For example, when the goal was weight-loss, his partner would actually put chocolate on his desk every morning. I always thought that seemed counter-productive, but after reading some other comments here, I think that it made it clear that the partner was serious about getting the reward, so was unlikely to renegotiate.

Jach 15y ago

Yes, my phrasing is kind of weird, it is definitely a "doesn't work" thing. And as the study shows, it might work when the task isn't identity-related, but considering it's an actively harmful strategy (rather than just "not working") I wouldn't even recommend it in passing. Perhaps not many students act like Klingons but the crucial part of this post seems to be about making a credible commitment, with this as the example: "I will work on my Android app at least 2 hours every single day for 6 months, or until the app is released. Every day, I will send you an email report of what I’ve learned or accomplished that day, and how many hours I’ve roughly worked. If I skip a day, it’s OK, but if I ever skip two days in a row, I will give you $2000, and do your laundry and clean your windows every week for the next 12 months. You are to hold me accountable, and demand that I hold my end of the deal. If I ever forget to send you an email, you are to call me and ask me about my progress." While I suppose a lot of students aren't planning on day-to-day schedules for their work (though some certainly do), there is nevertheless a cost that can easily exceed $2k for failing in college.

aidenn0 15y ago

I have met someone who did this (my grandfather). Any time he had a difficult goal, he would do this. He also had a partner that was clearly adversarial. For example, when the goal was weight-loss, his partner would actually put chocolate on his desk every morning. I always thought that seemed counter-productive, but after reading some other comments here, I think that it made it clear that the partner was serious about getting the reward, so was unlikely to renegotiate.